Female Jackson's possibly sick?

[CharlieRae]

I have had my female Jackson's for 3 weeks. I got her from a pet store so I do not know her age. They said she had been there for 4 months.
For the last 3 days she has not eaten at all. She was at the bottom of the enclosure all morning & was still colored in her sleeping colors.
I noticed for the last few days she has been gaping off & on, but not showing any other signs of an infection. Posted are pictures of her enclosure & her.

• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? We do not handle her.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets & roaches. What amount? As much as she wants. What is the schedule? Daily. How are you gut-loading your feeders? Carrots, greens, mango. Broccoli. Apples.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti-cal w/out D3 & bee pollen daily. Repashy LoD 1x a month
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Misting. How often and how long to you mist? 2x a day. 1x in AM & 1x in PM. I also put ice cubes on top of the cage to drip in for extra drinking. Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? White urate. Normal brown fecal, no mucous or strings.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage. Glass. What are the dimensions? 18x18x24
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia T5HO linear light, 1 plant light & 1 BR30 65W basking bulb
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Cage floor is 67°. Basking is 83°. Mid range to highest, not basking is 70-73. Lowest overnight temp? 58-60. How do you measure these temps? Heat gun.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? Unknown. My hygrometer broke another has been ordered. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Nightly fogging. Misting 2x a day. What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? 100% live plants. MoneyTree. Schefflera. Coleus. Pothos.
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Office. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? No. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 5 ft.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Northern Wyoming

Current Problem - Listed above.

 

[CBee7726]

Keeping track of temperature and humidity in your enclosure is very important, especially since you have a glass enclosure. If the humidity rises too much during the day when it's warm, it can present a risk of respiratory infection. You can get a digital Thermometer/Hygrometer probe for pretty cheap that you can keep in the enclosure full time.

@Kaizen @JacksJill

 

[CharlieRae]

Keeping track of temperature and humidity in your enclosure is very important, especially since you have a glass enclosure. If the humidity rises too much during the day when it's warm, it can present a risk of respiratory infection. You can get a digital Thermometer/Hygrometer probe for pretty cheap that you can keep in the enclosure full time.

@Kaizen @JacksJill

Yes, I know. I have 1 ordered. It never showed up the 1st time, it has been resent. Hopefully will be here soon. Mine stopped working a week after I got it. Price isn't an issue, finding one in my town was the issue

 

[coastal_chameleon]

That cage looks really nice !

 

[CharlieRae]

That cage looks really nice !

Thanks. I bought a 18x18x24 Reptibreeze to add to the top to give her & the plants more room. Hopefully it comes today!

 

[Kaizen]

I have had my female Jackson's for 3 weeks. I got her from a pet store so I do not know her age. They said she had been there for 4 months.
For the last 3 days she has not eaten at all. She was at the bottom of the enclosure all morning & was still colored in her sleeping colors.
I noticed for the last few days she has been gaping off & on, but not showing any other signs of an infection. Posted are pictures of her enclosure & her. im not a vet, but it wouldn’t hurt to see one. However, I’ll go through your husbandry as best I can.

• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? We do not handle her.
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? Crickets & roaches. What amount? As much as she wants. What is the schedule? Daily. How are you gut-loading your feeders? Carrots, greens, mango. Broccoli. Apples. “greens” is vague. We’re looking fo high calcium greens, specifically collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens. No iceburg or romaine. Broccoli is not a great ingredient. Your gutload should be ~75% high calcium greens, ~15% high carotenoid veggies (sweet potato, sweet peppers, carrots, butternut squash), ~5-10% healthy fruits (apple, orange, blackberry, papaya), and specialty items such as bee pollen, algal powders, mulberry powder, etc.
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule? Repti-cal w/out D3 & bee pollen daily. Repashy LoD 1x a month Plain calcium daily, mixed with bee pollen in a 95/5 ratio is fine. Lod once a month will depend on your uvb, but should be safe.
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Misting. How often and how long to you mist? 2x a day. 1x in AM & 1x in PM. I also put ice cubes on top of the cage to drip in for extra drinking. Do you see your chameleon drinking? Yes.seeing a jax drink is unusual, and may be a sign that nightime humidity is too low.
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? White urate. Normal brown fecal, no mucous or strings.
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage. Glass. What are the dimensions? 18x18x24 This is a really small enclosure for an adult xanth.
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? Arcadia T5HO linear light What %? , 1 plant light & 1 BR30 65W basking bulb This is an obvious possible cause: a 65watt basking bulb on a glass cage for a cool temp cham is probably way too hot! Im surprised that your cage stays below 90.
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Cage floor is 67°. Basking is 83°Jax are fine with basking at max 80. Mid range to highest, not basking is 70-73. Lowest overnight temp? 58-60. Ad long as you’re sure about these nightime temps, this seems ok. How do you measure these temps? Heat gun.
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? Unknown. My hygrometer broke another has been ordered. How are you creating and maintaining these levels? Nightly fogging. Misting 2x a day. What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind? 100% live plants. MoneyTree. Schefflera. Coleus. Pothos.
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Office. Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? No. At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 5 ft.
• Location - Where are you geographically located? Northern Wyoming

Current Problem - Listed above.

 

[CharlieRae]

The greens I feed are organic spring mix. I do feed sweet potato & zucchini. Forgot about that. I feed whatever I can get at the grocery store, really. So the list is not limited to what I posted. But it seems rather long to post everything I have ever bought. I've been seeing her drink since the day I got her. Why is it unusual? The UVB is a 12%, it is raised up off the screen 1.5 inches. My cage never got above 78 & that was before i got her & didnt have any of the fans running(just the plants). The basking spot, which is under the light, never gets above 83. I will raise the light for a few degrees lower temp.

We keep our house at night at 66*F. I put a baggie of ice over the fans to blow cold air. I am sure her cage is this temp at night. I also run a fogger, on low, all night. Should I turn it up?

 

[leedragon]

Make sure the age dries up between mistigns/waterings. Also check if she is gaping or inflationg her throut sak. it could be IR and would need a vet and antibiotica. Good luck, I like the cage and the cham.

 

[Kaizen]

The greens I feed are organic spring mix. I do feed sweet potato & zucchini. Forgot about that. I feed whatever I can get at the grocery store, really. So the list is not limited to what I posted. But it seems rather long to post everything I have ever bought.Fair enough. I too grow weary of posting details. . I've been seeing her drink since the day I got her. Why is it unusual? I find it unusual because I rarely find my jax drinking. However, individuals are individuals. The UVB is a 12%, it is raised up off the screen 1.5 inches. Uvb seems fine, are you using a solar meter to gauge the uvi’s? My cage never got above 78 & that was before i got her & didnt have any of the fans running(just the plants). The basking spot, which is under the light, never gets above 83. I will raise the light for a few degrees lower temp. Well, it sounds like your specs are perfectly in order; I don’t know what else I can add. Thanks for the reply!

We keep our house at night at 66*F. I put a baggie of ice over the fans to blow cold air. I am sure her cage is this temp at night. I also run a fogger, on low, all night. Should I turn it up?

 

[CBee7726]

The greens I feed are organic spring mix. I do feed sweet potato & zucchini. Forgot about that. I feed whatever I can get at the grocery store, really. So the list is not limited to what I posted. But it seems rather long to post everything I have ever bought. I've been seeing her drink since the day I got her. Why is it unusual? The UVB is a 12%, it is raised up off the screen 1.5 inches. My cage never got above 78 & that was before i got her & didnt have any of the fans running(just the plants). The basking spot, which is under the light, never gets above 83. I will raise the light for a few degrees lower temp.

We keep our house at night at 66*F. I put a baggie of ice over the fans to blow cold air. I am sure her cage is this temp at night. I also run a fogger, on low, all night. Should I turn it up?

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but spinach should be avoided as well for gutloading I believe.

 

[JacksJill]

I'm wondering if your cage isn't getting a bit hotter than you think. Hiding in the cooler parts and gaping could be one of a couple things most commonly Respiratory infection or panting from the heat. Staying light colors is an other indication of over heating.
I'm not ruling out respiratory issues but double checking your temps not thru the glass but with the door open is a start.
Another consideration is that she is about to give birth and a bit over stuffed with food from the all you can eat she has been on recently.
Signs of a URI include gaping as you know, ropy saliva and a crackling or popping noise while breathing. Do you have a vet with chameleon experience? If not it would be good to start looking.